Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Memorial Day 2013 Recap

I get excited for Memorial Day Weekend every year. I always think that it's gonna be super hot and it's going to be a real kick off to summer. It's kind of like how I think that when April comes we will actually get some really nice Spring weather, and instead I am left disappointed with lots of rain and sometimes even a snow storm for good measure. Why do I always forget that weather on the East Coast is unpredictable? While I have had a few Memorial Days where all we've done is sun bathed by the pool, I am usually let down with some Spring-like weather at best.

Because of Noah this year, we had some lofty plans that would require some good weather. Chris had the Friday off from work in addition to Memorial Day Monday, making it a 4 day weekend! I wanted to take Noah to a nearby zoo on Friday, go to our pool for the first time Saturday morning and then BBQ with Grammy, Grandpa, and Uncle Justin in the afternoon, spend more time at the pool on Sunday, and finish the weekend off at my parents' house on Monday. Our plans weren't totally ruined, but alterations were made.

We knew from the forecast that Friday and Saturday were not going to be nice. Not only was it not beach weather, but it was rainy and windy. We spent Friday morning playing inside and then we made a trip to Babies R Us... exciting huh? Thankfully, playing with Noah is pretty fun and we always enjoy doing anything that involves spending time with him :)

On Saturday, we didn't get to go to the pool on the first day it "opened". I think the only person there the whole time was the lifeguard, who spent the day in the club room. Chris has prided himself that he's been the first person in the pool, on the first day it opens, every year since it opened (2010). That did not happen this year. While I didn't plan to go in the water, or even have Noah go in (the water is still very cold at the beginning of the summer), I was bummed that Noah didn't get to wear his super cute swim trunks and hats this weekend!

We still went over to Chris' parents' house on Saturday, but instead of BBQing on their deck, we ate lunch inside. Despite the rainy weather, we still managed to have a lot of fun!

Finally, better weather came our way on Sunday. It was sunny and in the high 60s. While it still wasn't pool weather, I was just happy that we could spend some time outside! Chris had a bunch of things he wanted to do with Noah. We took a walk to a new bagel place and Noah sat in a restaurant wooden high chair for the first time while we ate our breakfast! He's constantly moving that I couldn't even get a shot where his hand wasn't blurry!

We then had some fun playing inside (and only napping for 45 minutes)! I guess he knew that we had a fun day planned and didn't want to miss anything by sleeping!

In the afternoon, we went out for a walk. Chris wanted to show Noah where he gets the train every morning and take a picture showing how close our apartment is to the train station (we live right on the tracks).

We timed it so that we were gonna be there when a train would be coming in. We were a little worried that it might scare Noah, but he was totally fine. I think Chris was more excited about the train than Noah was!

Then we began our walk...

We stopped for some frozen yogurt at Strawberry Fields and were even able to eat it outside. We even let Noah have a taste of some sugar free vanilla frozen yogurt... I think the cold surprised him a little, but otherwise he seemed to like it.

Noah then stared at the less than impressive water fountain.

By the end of the walk Noah was fast asleep. We decided to sit by the pool, which no one else was at, until Noah woke up. I felt kind of silly sitting by a pool wearing yoga pants and a sweater, but it was nice to be outside in the sunshine. Chris and I discussed how that when you have a baby in a stroller you feel less awkward doing a lot of things... it kind of gives you a free pass to not be super cool anymore.

Chris then wanted to watch the Indianapolis 500 with Noah. Noah was more interested in biting on Chris' finger :)

Monday was definitely the best day of the weekend weather wise. Noah once again didn't nap very well in the morning, so we headed over to my parents' house a little earlier than we planned. Noah had some toys that he got for Christmas that we had left there because of space. He is now old enough to play with him and had fun with his Disney Train! He is getting so much better at sitting up on his own now!

After a nap and lunch, we headed outside. Outfitted in shorts and his Mets hat, Noah was thrown into the air (lightly), given countless piggy back rides, fascinated by the sprinklers, and distracted by any car that drove by. For an almost 7 month old, it was pure joy! I am ready for summer filled with laughter and chubby thighs (his, not mine)!

That evening, Chris and Noah suited up and watched the Mets vs. Yankees game on TV. Chris even surprised Noah with a new baseball balloon, since he seemed to love the Mother's Day balloon so much! Noah obviously didn't stay up til the end, but Chris was thrilled that the Mets beat the Yankees 2-1!

While this was not exactly the Memorial Day Weekend I had originally envisioned, like most things, the alternative turned out to be better. We had a fabulous four days of trying new things with Noah and spending time with our families. I hope everyone else enjoyed their Memorial Day as well!

Chris took this picture during our walk and we thought it was fitting for Memorial Day